a. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a waste recycling system, and more particularly to a method and apparatus by which recyclable waste can be collected and sorted at various geographically spaced collecting locations and be brought to other locations for recycling, or transportation to recycling facilities, and more particularly to such a system where portable waste separating apparatus can be effectively utilized.
b. Background Art
In recent years, the recycling of waste material has become increasingly important. There are various ways in which this can be accomplished. For example, in some areas people in residential neighborhoods will presort their recyclable waste and place this adjacent to the street for collection, the waste could be sorted, for example, into the waste material which is simply taken to a landfill or the like, and into three other containers, one for metal, one for glass, and another for paper which could possibly be recycled. Then this sorted waste material is taken to a further collection location, which may be a recycling facility, but which may also be a transfer area where the sorted material is transported further to a recycling facility.
At a collection center, there is often provided a system where the potentially recyclable material is further sorted. For example, the recyclable glass is placed on a conveyor which carries the glass by a plurality of work stations where individual workers will sort through the waste material to remove selected classes of material. Specifically, glass of one color may be sorted by one person and placed in a collecting bin, while glass of another color placed in a collecting bin, while glass of another color would be removed by a worker at another location and placed in another bin. Eventually, the sorted material is subjected to a recycling process, and it could be transported one or more further times prior to the actual recycling process.
The sequence of steps described above is simply given by way of example, and there are obviously variations of this. For example, in some instances there is no attempt to pre-sort the recyclable material at residential sites, and all of the waste material is transported to a collecting and sorting location, where there is a sorting apparatus (i.e. an apparatus with the conveyor, workstations, etc.). Also, in many instances recyclable material is collected along with waste material which has no value for recycling and is transported to a sorting location. The non-recyclable material which is sorted out is simply carried to a disposal site such as a landfill.
Another complicating consideration is that there is currently greater environmental sensitivity to the overall process of collection, disposal and recycling of waste material, and the overall process is often subject to regulations, regarding permits and the like. Another important factor is the costs of transportation. For example, the actual recycling process of many material often requires sometimes a rather substantial capital investment in recycling equipment, and in many instances the recycling facility itself may be located many miles from the collection and sorting area, requiring rail or other land transportation over long distances.
A search of the patent literature with regard to the present invention has disclosed a number of patients, these being the following:
U.S. Pat. No. 3,557,685 (Schroering) is directed toward a "solid waste disposal plant", where the solid waste is placed on a first conveyor to a salvage separating area. Then the salvageable material is separated from the nonsalvageable material by depositing the nonsalvageable material onto a second conveyor where it goes through a shredding and compacting apparatus and then deposited in a sanitary landfill. PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,595,389 (Morgan et al) shows what is called "Reclamation Method and Apparatus", where there is a plurality of conveyor belts and work stations located along the length of these belts. Patentability is predicated largely on the arrangement of these conveyors relative to each other. PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 4,511,024 (Long) simply shows a conveyor line where there are foldable panels that provide work stations along the length of the conveyor. PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,420,211 (Hartvickson) shows what is called a "turkey hauling machine". There is a portable conveying apparatus, and this is arranged so that the turkeys can be moved up the conveyor belt and into the containing area. Then the trailer assembly can be towed away. PA1 U.S. Pat. No. 3,340,935 (Csimma) shows a harvesting machine which travels through a vine crop area, with there being conveyors and also work stations. Another harvesting machine is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,305,113 (Gardner) where portable work stations are provided. PA1 i. a support frame having an operating axis; PA1 ii. a conveyor means arranged to carry waste along the operating axis; PA1 iii. means defining a plurality of work stations on the axis where workers at the stations have access to the waste being carried on the conveying means so as to be able to sort out and collect portions of the waste for collection. PA1 iv. ground locomotion means (desirably in the form of ground wheels) by which the apparatus can be moved between collecting locations.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,588,282 (Orwin) shows a conveyor with adjacent work activity stations.